Q: The IRS has had my 2018 tax refund for a year and refuses to give me any information.
In Feb 2019, I filed my taxes for 2018. I was self-employed and I have 3 small children that I have always claimed on taxes. Their father does not claim them. In the previous years, I used a W2 because I had an employer. Well, it’s been a year and I still don’t have my 2018 taxes. They requested pieces of documents, like my children’s birth certificates, their ssn cards, proof of address, etc. I have provided my receipts and payments from customers. For the entire year, I keep getting notices that they need more time,. In Dec, I received notice from the IRS that they needed until Jan 20th, 2020. On Jan 15th, I received another notice stating that they need until the end of Fe. I have called the IRS several times and there is NOBODY who is willing to tell me what is going on. Now, I have just filed my 2019 taxes, with a W2, is this going to effect this years taxes? If so, thats over $14,000 they’re holding on to. $6012 for 2018 and $8592 for 2019. What is going on? What can I do?
A: You should hire a tax lawyer, provide a power of attorney using form 2848, and have the attorney call the IRS to figure it out. And in the future, adjust your withholding so the Treasury does not hold your $7k hostage indefinitely.
A: Try calling the Taxpayer Advocate. They may be able to help speed things along. If they agree to take your case at the very least you will get an answer as to what is going on and someone will be monitoring your case for you. Here is the link https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/contact-us and you can find the number for the office closest to you.
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